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One of the best received movie lines by McFarlane Toys were the X-files
figures. Sure, lots ended up in the clearance bins, but an awful lot
were also sold to big fans of the TV series. A second line of
figures was planned, but never released much to the disappointment of many
toy collectors and X-Files fans.
One of the figures planned for that second assortment was Flukeman.
This is one of the more gruesome monsters of the series - a mutated
man/beast that lived in the sewers. Now, long after the initial
series debuted, McFarlane Toys has released the Flukeman figure as a
Collectors Club Exclusive. It's available from the Club (or at any
show that McFarlane Toys happens to be set up at) for $10 plus shipping.
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Sculpting - ****
A beautiful job was done by the McToys folks on this sculpt. They
captured the look of the TV character perfectly, and the paint application
on the mouth and eyes looks perfect. Considering that the head is also
made of a soft rubber (along with the upper shoulders and chest), it's
surprising the exceptional level of detail the obtained.
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Packaging - ***
For club exclusives, they usually use this nice, extremely sturdy
clamshell package. While you have to destroy it to remove the figure
- actually, having a knife handy to cut it to shreds is probably the
easiest way to open it - it's designed so MOC collectors can still
appreciate both the figure and the stand. Also, the paper backing is
very nice, with terrific graphics, and you may want to save that to put
behind the figure on display.
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Articulation - **
I'm giving them a couple stars here for trying. There are six points
- a cut joint near the elbows, just below the shoulder piece, cut joints
at the wrists, and cut joints at the thighs. Unfortunately, while
they aren't totally useless, there aren't many poses he can hold. He
does stand very well however, and at least the one or two poses he can
take are pretty damn cool.
Quality - ***
A pretty high score for a McToys figure, let's face it. But this
figure feels much sturdier than many of their previous figures, and even
the diorama of the sewer is well constructed.
Accessories - ***
There's really only one - the sewer diorama or stand. It's well
constructed, if a bit small. Considering the size of the figure,
making it slightly larger, particularly the wall section, would have been
nice. But the radioactive greenish color of the sewage is good, and
the overall design works great.
Paint - ***1/2
Both the paint work on the figure and the stand are excellent. The
eyes and mouth on the Flukeman are extremely well done, and looked great
on all the figures I saw.
Value - ***
Ten bucks is a bit steep for an average figure, but considering the
terrific sculpting work on this, along with the desire of many X-Files
fans to have this character, I have to say that it's not bad.
Overall - ***
I'm very pleased with this figure overall. The sculpting is
terrific, the stand nicely done, and the price not too out of line.
If I have one complaint, it's that he's a little too large compared to the
rest of the X-Files figures. Standing near Scully or Mulder he looks
huge, but since he is a mutation, I can except the size.
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